


Not-So-Secret Admirer

by Blizzard_Drift (Blizzard_Fire)



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Bad Puns, Concussions, Cupcakes, Hurt Newton Geiszler, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Set vaguely during PR1, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:28:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29069544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blizzard_Fire/pseuds/Blizzard_Drift
Summary: Valentine's Day is approaching.Newt and Hermann both receive cupcakes from anonymous admirers.Mako and Tendo wonder how long it'll take them to figure it out.
Relationships: Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb
Comments: 5
Kudos: 44





	Not-So-Secret Admirer

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted some Valentine's fluff that's it that's the fic. The canon's a little squishy on this one, but imagine PR1 took place over a longer time period and it's been a few weeks since Raleigh joined the team idk.

The trouble starts on February 7th, at precisely 7:28am.

They’re sat in the mess hall, and Newt is shovelling down his breakfast and arguing with Hermann between bites. ‘I’m just saying that your theory would benefit from a more direct application of Kaiju biology. You can’t just rely on numbers alone.’

Hermann pointedly moves his tray out of Newt’s crumb-spraying radius. ‘The numbers have never been wrong. I fail to see how the contents of a Kaiju stomach would affect them.’

‘Maybe a Kaiju with a full stomach gives off different readings, or it has a harder time getting through the Breach and it throws off your timings… they aren’t robots, there’s gonna be an element of randomness to this thing. Not that you’d know anything about spontaneity.’ They like to make digs at each other, but there’s no heat in these early morning discussions. Newt’s in a great mood: breakfast is… edible, a crate of Kaiju samples is being delivered this afternoon, and Hermann is watching him with a strangely fond expression.

‘What? Something on my face?’ Newt wipes his mouth on the back of his hand.

Hermann just smiles and shakes his head. ‘You are utterly infuriating.’

Something warm sparks in Newt’s chest. He quickly looks away. ‘Yeah well, not my fault your numbers suck.’

That’s when Mako approaches their table. She’s beaming, a stack of paper tucked under her arm. ‘Good morning.’

‘Hey, Mako.’ Newt leans back to smile up at her. ‘What’s gotten you all excited? Raleigh make a move yet?’ Everyone knows it’s only a matter of time. Newt’s never seen such a lovestruck pair.

Mako blushes. ‘No – I wanted to give you these.’ She hands them each a flyer, printed on grainy recycled paper: VALENTINE’S CUPCAKE DELIVERY. ‘I thought it would cheer people up.’

Newt’s not so sure. ‘Uh, Mako this is really sweet but… you _do_ know that this place is about 75% straight guys? Not a lot of lovin’ to go around here.’ And doesn’t he know it. Newt has been trying to get a date (or a quick lay, _anything)_ for months, and most of the staff are either not his type or not interested.

She shrugs. ‘It doesn’t have to be romantic. You can write a message with each cake, and it is all completely anonymous.’ She winks.

Hermann clears his throat. ‘It’s a lovely idea,’ he says, very politely.

‘We are delivering them every morning this week, until the 14th. Just ask me or Tendo if you want to take part.’ And with that she walks off to approach the next table.

Newt chuckles. ‘ _Tendo’s_ helping? How hard did she hit him? Or maybe he’s a secret romantic.’ Hermann is frowning. ‘What’s up with you?’

‘Nothing.’ Hermann delicately folds the flyer and stows it in his inside pocket. ‘I just think it is ill-timed. We’re supposed to be preventing the end of the world. Must we indulge in something so – so consumerist?’

‘It’s called _fun_ , Hermann. You might not have heard of it before.’ Why does Hermann have to have a stick up his ass about almost everything? ‘If you can’t have fun and maybe get laid once a year, then what is there worth living for?’

Hermann glares down at the table, sips his coffee, and mutters something that sounds like “algebra”.

Newt sighs and slumps back in his chair. ‘You need to get out of the lab more, man.’

He completely forgets about Mako’s scheme until the following morning. He’s elbow-deep in a Kaiju lung (so fresh it’s almost breathing; this is the best day _ever_ ) when there’s a knock at the door.

Hermann, who’s currently perched atop his ladder, doesn’t even stop scribbling at the chalkboard. ‘Come in!’

It’s Mako, carrying a large tray of cupcakes. ‘We’re popular,’ she announces. It’s nice to see her smiling so much.

‘That’s awesome!’ Newt says, and he means it. ‘Does your dad have one yet? I just wanna see his face.’

She laughs. ‘If you want to send one, let me know. All the proceeds go to rehousing victims of Kaiju attacks.’

It’s tempting. In fact, Newt can think of plenty of ways to mess with people. Maybe he’ll send one to Tendo that just says _I KNOW WHAT YOU DID._ Endless possibilities.

He straightens up to clean his scalpel just in time to see Mako place a cupcake on the edge of the table. ‘Oh shit, really? Who from?’

She shrugs. ‘My lips are sealed. Don’t get Kaiju blood on it.’ And with a final wink, she leaves.

Newt stares at the cupcake. It’s enormous, topped with pale pink frosting (how the hell did Mako even source the ingredients?). A folded-up note sticks out of the icing like a shark’s fin with his name on it. He peels off his gloves, pulls it out and unfolds it.

_Newton’s First Law: an object in love will remain in love indefinitely_

He laughs. ‘Sap.’ It’s probably from Tendo, though he’s surprised he didn’t just draw a dick on it or something.

‘Well?’ says Hermann. He’s still on the ladder, but he’s paused his scribbling to look over. ‘I’m dying to know who has deemed you worthy romantic material.’

‘Hey, I don’t kiss and tell.’ Newt winks, sucking the icing off the corner and slipping it into his pocket.

Hermann scoffs. ‘You couldn’t keep a secret if your life depended on it.’

‘Why are you so interested in who wants to get into my pants?’ He wiggles his eyebrows. It’s clearly a joke, but Hermann gets adorably flustered anyway.

Holy shit, this cake is good. It’s a little rubbery, but he can forgive Mako for using egg replacer. The achingly-sweet icing more than makes up for it.

Muttering to himself about calculations, Hermann returns to his chalkboard. There’s a tense hunch to his shoulders.

‘Hey, we’ve still got a week to go, dude. If you wanted me to send you one you could have just asked.’

Hermann doesn’t respond. Newt finishes the cupcake with relish before attacking his beloved Kaiju lung with renewed enthusiasm.

Mako’s cupcakes have raised morale all over the Shatterdome. When they go to lunch everyone’s talking about who sent what, from the hardened rangers to the giggly recruits. The Kaidonovskys sent them to each other, Chuck and Raleigh got four each and there’s a rumour that one of the Wei Tang brothers sent one to Pentecost but no one agrees on what the message said.

‘Still think Valentine’s is a waste of time?’ Newt teases, toeing Hermann’s ankle.

Hermann harrumphs non-commitally and continues eating his lunch.

The next morning, they’re in the middle of yet another argument about Newt’s workplace hygiene when the door opens.

‘You know they can hear you all the way down the corridor,’ says Tendo. He’s carrying a tray of cupcakes and has even traded his red bowtie for a pink one.

Hermann storms back to his side of the lab, red-faced. ‘I don’t understand how hard it is for you to keep your intestines on your own side of the room,’ he snaps. ‘The line is there for a reason – ‘

‘Am I allowed to breathe on this side of the line?’ Newt cuts in, stepping over the tape line on the floor. ‘Jesus Hermann, I dropped it there, okay? I’m in the middle of some really important – ‘

‘ _Three hours_ it has sat there, and the smell is – ‘

‘Well, I put up with you for a lot longer than three hours and – ‘

‘Guys, come on!’ Tendo yells. ‘I’ve got to deliver three of these to Herc and he’s probably gonna kill me. Just shut up and eat your cakes, okay?’

Hermann blinks. ‘Both of us?’

‘Yeah, both of you.’ He hands them out, eyebrows raised. ‘Try not to kill each other. I need my drinking buddies.’

‘Sure man,’ Newt says, because Hermann is too busy staring at the cupcake in his hand as though expecting it to disappear. ‘Catch you later.’

And then Tendo is gone, and they’re left staring at their cupcakes. The tense atmosphere that has pervaded the lab all morning lessens a little.

‘C’mon dude, whatcha get? I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.’ Newt pulls out his note. It’s the same handwriting as before: neat and loopy, the flourishes so large they barely fit on the paper.

_You are the substrate to my enzyme_

He holds it up to Herman, who adjusts his glasses and leans in to read it. ‘Well, that’s certainly… creative.’

‘I know, right? What does yours say?’

Hermann smiles bashfully. ‘It’s rather silly – hey!’

Newt has swiped it out of his hand. ‘” _If you were an angle, you’d be_ acute”? Holy shit, maybe you’re not the only math nerd in this place.’ He holds up the two notes. ‘Different handwriting. One of them’s gotta be Tendo, right?’ Hermann’s note is written in a familiar bright blue scrawl. Newt is confident he’s disguised his handwriting enough, but he can’t help the slight tremor in his hand as he gives it back to him. ‘Not this one, though. Tendo’s not smart enough to write nerd jokes.’

‘I am as flummoxed as you.’

Newt laughs as he peels back the paper casing and takes a bite. ‘Look at us: two eligible bachelors.’ He returns to his half of the room, relieved to have gotten away with it. Whatever. If Hermann figures it out, he can just play it off as a joke, no harm done. Why else would he send one?

‘Newton,’ says Hermann sharply, and every muscle in Newt’s body tenses. He turns back to see Hermann watching him with a steely gaze. ‘I haven’t forgotten our conversation. Please keep those guts on _your_ side, or I _will_ file another complaint.’

He smiles. ‘I am _acutely_ aware.’

Hermann huffs and blushes, turning back to his chalkboard with cake in hand. He tries to play it cool, but the grumpy mathematician has an enormous sweet tooth, and there’s no hiding the pleased sound he makes as he takes a bite.

Newt bends over his Kaiju specimen so Hermann won’t see him grinning.

It’s all strictly to help the charity, of course.

That’s what Newt tells himself as he hands Mako a handful of folded messages and cash like a contraband drugs deal. He had some fun this time: there’s one for Tendo that’s just a drawing of a jaeger with a giant mecha-penis, and one for Herc that compliments his ass, and one for Mako because she’s awesome and deserves a damn cupcake (he signs that one with his name because he’s not a creep).

And of course, he sent another to Hermann. Just for fun. Platonically.

Hermann’s even more flustered this time around, and though he rolls his eyes about the whole thing he’s clearly thrilled to bits with the lame pun Newt wrote.

‘Admit it, you’re enjoying this,’ Newt says. Meanwhile, he has yet another cupcake in his hands and is wondering who likes him enough to send him _three._

‘I ah, maybe a little,’ he admits, smiling. ‘It’s rather exciting, wondering who it could be from. Now then, what does yours say? Another from your mystery admirer?’

Newt is _really curious_ who has been sending him cupcakes. It’s not Tendo, and it’s not Mako, and Newt doesn’t have many other friends in the Shatterdome. Sure enough, it’s the same handwriting:

_I miss you when you Argon_

‘Really now,’ Hermann scoffs, reading over his shoulder. ‘Isn’t it all rather… cheesy?’

‘Hell yeah it’s cheesy, that’s the point!’ Newt hasn’t had an anonymous Valentine since… ever. He used to dread the date in fact, as no one ever asked him out except as a joke or last resort. So, it’s nice. He’s humming to himself as he sets out his dissection tools.

‘All this flattery will go to your head, Newton,’ Hermann chides fondly.

‘Good thing I’ve got you to keep me humble, Herms.’ Newt sticks out his tongue before getting to work with his scalpel and singing under his breath, ‘I’m too sexy for my lab, too sexy for my lab…’

Hermann sighs.

‘Really?’ says Tendo as Newt walks up to him in LOCCENT.

‘What?’ Newt says, glancing around furtively before handing him the folded slip of paper.

‘You’re sending him _another_ one?’ Tendo’s expression is far too knowing as he lounges in his swivel chair. ‘Just ask the guy out already. I’ve got fifty bucks riding on you.’

It’s a shame the place is swarming with staff, because Newt really wants to punch him right now. Tendo has taped Newt’s jaeger dick drawing to his monitor, so Newt lets him off. ‘We’re not a thing, Tendo. Maybe – maybe I just want to show appreciation for the guy without making a big deal out of it.’

‘Oh, that makes sense.’ Tendo smiles slyly. ‘So you won’t mind if I…?’ He moves as if to unfold the paper.

‘Don’t you dare read it or I will put laxatives in your coffee, I swear to god.’ Newt dumps the money on the desk. ‘Keep the change. Love ya, man.’ He plants a sloppy kiss on Tendo’s forehead and ducks the hand that bats him away.

Okay, so maybe Newt was lying to himself when he said it was “just for fun”.

The truth is, he likes Hermann. He likes Hermann a lot. It took a long time for them to learn to get along, but now he can’t imagine ever being apart from him. He loves Hermann’s dry wit and gentleness and frumpy old-fashioned sweaters. Every smile and accidental brush of hands gets Newt’s heart thumping, and some days it drives him crazy.

There’s no way Newt would ever risk their relationship by asking for more, so this is a safe way to play out some of his fantasies. Y’know, the fantasies where Hermann actually likes him back.

Plus, Hermann’s adorable when he’s flustered.

‘Someone must really like you two,’ says Mako as she hands them each a cupcake.

‘Mako, _please_ can you tell me who’s writing me science puns?’ Newt begs. ‘I will literally do anything.’

She just beams back at him, eyes bright.

‘Pleeease? Just give me one clue!’

She shrugs. ‘There are still three days left. Perhaps they will tell you before then.’ It seems like she’s enjoying a private joke as she backs out of the room, and already Newt is wondering if he can bribe Tendo to spill the beans.

‘This is killing me, man,’ he moans, slumping down on the lab stool and taking a huge bite. ‘Wosh yus shay?’

Hermann, who has his back turned, doesn’t reply.

‘Uh, Hermann?’ Newt nervously licks the frosting off his lips. ‘Don’t leave me in suspense. They give you a phone number yet?’

He makes a strange choking sound. Oh shit. Newt’s gone too far, or Hermann’s figured it out…

Then he realises: Herman is _giggling._

‘Alright, spill. What does it say?’ Newt’s halfway across the lab before Hermann quickly puts the note out of sight. ‘Oh my god, you’re _blushing!’_

He really is. Doctor Hermann Gottlieb, renowned mathematician of their generation, is as pink-cheeked as a schoolboy and failing to contain his laughter. ‘I’m not going to repeat it to you,’ he sputters.

Newt, who knows full well what the message says, just shrugs and pouts. ‘Oh, I get it. Too mathematical for me to understand.’ He’d spent a long time thinking up math pick-up lines, finally settling on: _Hey babe, are you an inverse function? Because you make my natural log rise exponentially._

The fact that Hermann finds that genuinely amusing warms his fucking heart. He’s never seen him so tickled.

‘You’re so cute, man,’ he sighs, then a lump of ice forms in his stomach when Hermann falters, looking up at him uncertainly. ‘I mean – you know, it’s nice to see you smile for once. If I’d known the way to your heart was cake and bad math puns I’d have tried it myself.’ Yeah nice save, Geiszler.

Hermann is still looking at him a little strangely. ‘Have you opened your note yet?’ he asks. Almost too casually.

A wild thought occurs to Newt in that moment. Is _Hermann_ the one sending these? It seems too good to be true. Maybe he should scrutinise the handwriting more closely…

Newt looks down at his cupcake. He’s already eaten half of it, and the note is nowhere to be found. ‘Oh my god,’ he says hoarsely, ‘I swallowed it.’

They share a shocked look, then Newt bursts out laughing and Hermann quickly joins him. Before long they’re both breathless, leaning on each other to stay standing. Newt gets a little giddy when he looks up and their faces are just inches apart. ‘Hey,’ he says, ‘who here is crazy enough to send me four cupcakes?’

Hermann’s smile is soft and fond. ‘Perhaps the Marshall was particularly enamoured with your latest report on Kaiju spleens.’

‘Pentecost? Hah. I’m way out of his league. I’ll break it to him gently.’

The door opens. ‘Break what to me gently?’ says Pentecost, stone-faced.

Hermann squeaks with embarrassment and salutes so fast he knocks Newt’s glasses off. The next fifteen minutes of explaining their theories is excruciating, but Newt sees a faint glimmer of amusement in Pentecost’s eyes. Tendo never did say who he’d made that bet with…

Newt spends the rest of the day trying to think up some decent math puns (honestly, it’s the most use he’s ever gotten out of that doctorate). The afternoon passes in much the same way as usual, and Newt spends a few hours rearranging his sample tanks. The brain is taking up a lot of space, and he has several containers he doesn’t need anymore. He cranks up his headphones to full and resigns himself to the exciting task of decontaminating all the empty jars and boxes (be still, my beating heart).

What if he wrote out a clue in algebra? Is that clever enough? Or should he just say fuck it and draw a newt? Would Hermann be upset if he found out Newt was sending the cupcakes? For all his confidence and swagger, Newt just doesn’t _know._ He doesn’t do the smooth-talk stuff, and even if he did, Hermann’s not the type to appreciate that.

Hermann shouts something behind him. Probably complaining that he can hear Newt’s music through the headphones. Newt waves a hand. ‘Yeah yeah Herms, just gimme a second.’ He pulls a smaller tank off the shelf and takes a sniff. Ew. Definitely contaminated. This is turning into a longer job than he thought.

‘NEWTON!’ Hermann bellows.

Newt rolls his eyes and looks over, ready with a scathing remark. Hermann is frozen in fear, eyes glued to something above Newt’s head.

Newt looks up just in time to see a large glass specimen tank falling towards him. Then everything goes dark.

He awakens slowly, in a bed that isn’t his in a room that’s way too bright. Newt blinks and looks around, but moving his head makes his stomach lurch and he quickly shuts his eyes again. Why is he in the infirmary? Did he get drunk last night? He rubs a clumsy hand over his face and winces as they graze the stitches on his forehead. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he’s pretty sure he’s wearing one of those stupid blue hospital gowns. ‘Who the fuck,’ he mumbles, ‘took my clothes?’

There’s a rustle beside him, then a cold hand clutches his arm. ‘Newton? Newton, how are you feeling?’

Slowly this time, Newt opens his eyes and looks over. Hermann is sitting on a chair beside the bed, and his face is pale and drawn. ‘Hey Herms.’ He chuckles. ‘What’s a guy like you doing in a place like this?’

Hermann doesn’t smile. ‘You could have killed yourself, you silly fool. How many times have I told you not to overstack those shelves?’ He sounds more shaken than angry, but it’s hard to decipher his expression when he’s so blurry. Where are his glasses?

‘Whatever I said when I was drunk, I didn’t mean it. Did I kiss anyone? I have the _worst_ headache right now.’ He presses a hand to his head. It’s _really_ sore.

Hermann’s fingers thread through his and gently pull his hand away. ‘You weren’t drunk, Newton. You were in the lab, and one of the empty tanks fell on you. Do you remember being brought here?’

If he concentrates, he can summon a vague image of being helped onto a stretcher, but apart from that it’s a blank. ‘Not really.’

Hermann is still holding his hand. He sighs. ‘If you weren’t concussed I would shout at you. I wish you’d be more careful.’

‘Hey, I didn’t do it on purpose!’ Raising his voice makes his head throb. Newt sits up, ignoring the immediate dizziness and the wave of nausea it triggers. ‘Alright, time to go. Where’s my clothes?’

‘You aren’t going anywhere until you’re seen by a doctor. Clearly you’re still unwell.’

Newt scowls at him. ‘I feel fine. Did I put all my samples away properly? Oh god, did anything smash? I swear to god, if that brain was damaged…’ He swings his legs out of bed and tries to stand. The world tips sideways.

Hermann is on his feet immediately, pushing him back down onto the pillows. ‘The only brain I’m concerned about is yours. Now, rest.’

Newt pushes back feebly, but Hermann is surprisingly strong. In the end, his hands slide down the rough wool of Hermann’s sweater and rest against his ribs. ‘If it’s damaged, it might not survive,’ he whispers.

Hermann’s chest heaves in a sigh. ‘Your specimens are fine. Only your head was damaged. Now if I let go, can I trust you to lie there whilst I fetch a doctor?’

Newt’s eyes are drawn to his lips. They’re thin and pale, like the rest of Hermann, and they look soft and nice. It would be so easy to stretch up and…

The door opens. ‘Oh hey, he’s awake!’ says Tendo, far too loud, and Newt flinches.

Hermann jumps guiltily away from Newt. ‘I – ah – yes, so it seems,’ he huffs, collapsing back into his chair.

The blurry shape that is Tendo wanders around to Newt’s other side. ‘He was here all night, keeping an eye on you. Weren’t you, Doc?’

Hermann clears his throat awkwardly. ‘It wouldn’t do for Doctor Geiszler to get himself killed in a lab accident. I thought it best to be safe.’

Newt huffs, though he’s secretly touched that Hermann’s been watching over him. His head gives another sharp twinge, and he can’t quite hold back a moan. The moment he reaches up to prod at the stitches, Hermann swats his hand away.

‘Well, this’ll cheer you up.’ Tendo places something on the bedside table. Something pink, that smells like sugar.

‘Fuck, wait, it’s morning?’ Of course it is; he can tell from the light coming through the window. He doesn’t remember getting Hermann a cupcake yesterday…

‘Yep, you took a long nap, brother.’ Tendo slaps him on the shoulder affectionately. ‘You rest easy, alright? I’ll come check on you later.’ He murmurs something to Hermann, and then he’s gone.

Newt turns away from Hermann and curls up miserably. It shouldn’t matter, but it does. To his embarrassment, tears well up in his eyes. He can’t get one simple thing right. Hermann’s probably disappointed at being left out, wondering what he did to upset his “secret admirer”. God, he’s such a screw-up.

‘Newton? Whatever’s the matter?’ Hermann’s voice is gentle, the hand on his shoulder feather-light.

‘Whole thing was a stupid idea.’ He gestures at the cupcake. ‘Was gonna write something clever, couldn’t even do that.’

There’s a long pause, and then a sigh. ‘Well, you haven’t written anything clever so far, so I wasn’t expecting a miracle.’

Newt frowns. He turns over to see Hermann staring at the wall with apparent fascination. ‘You knew it was me?’

‘Yes, I recognised your handwriting. You’re also the only one who uses blue pens.’

‘I thought I was being subtle.’

‘Evidently not.’

Neither of them speak for a while. Newt twists his hands in the blankets. ‘Did you, uh, like them?’

‘Y-yes, they were very… well-considered. Very amusing.’ His apathetic tone feels like a punch to the gut.

‘That’s all? Just amusing?’

‘Well, what else do you want me to say?’ Hermann puffs up indignantly. ‘It was a good joke. I assume you had a punchline planned for the 14th, but you needn’t bother. You did have me guessing for a few days, however.’

‘I – you – ‘ For a moment he’s speechless. Then Newt snatches up the cupcake and pulls out the note, straining to read it:

_I’ve got my ion you_

Newt thrusts it angrily in Hermann’s face. ‘So is this a joke too? This is _your handwriting_ , isn’t it? Don’t act like you’re better than me!’ He wishes he had his glasses, because right now Hermann is an indifferent blur. ‘Why are you acting like I’d only send you stuff to ridicule you?’

Hermann stands up suddenly. ‘Why else would you?’ he says, too loudly. ‘What other reason could you possibly have?’

‘Because I _love you_ , you asshole!’ Newt shouts.

Hermann gasps softly, falls back a step. He opens his mouth as if to speak, his breath catches, he closes it again. Finally, he shakes his head. ‘I’ll – I’ll go and find the doctor.’

‘Hermann, don’t – ‘ But he’s already hurrying away, cane clicking on the hard floor. ‘Come on man, don’t just leave me hanging!’

The door slams shut. Newt groans and pulls the covers over his head. Great job, Newt. Spectacularly handled, as always. Six doctorates and he still puts his foot in his mouth.

For the rest of the day he’s too nauseous to eat anything, and the smell of cupcake frosting makes him feel worse so in the end he passes it off to one of the nursing staff. He keeps the note, though.

By the time he’s allowed to leave, it’s nearly midnight. Newt wobbles back to his room down the deserted corridors, one elbow linked through Mako’s. ‘So, has everyone been missing me? Honestly, I don’t know how you’ve all coped since I’m basically the only one keeping this whole operation together.’

Mako laughs. ‘Yes, we have all missed you. Even Doctor Gottlieb.’

Newt snorts. ‘Yeah, right.’

‘He was very upset about your accident.’ Newt stumbles, and she pulls him up effortlessly. ‘Did you have an argument? I tried to visit him earlier, but he’d locked the lab.’

‘I… may have said some stupid shit.’ They ascend the stairs together. Despite spending the day in bed, Newt feels drained and sore. ‘But come on, I was still concussed! _You_ try having a conversation after dropping a glass tank on your head! Clearly he decided to take it all seriously…’

‘Newt, what did you say?’ Mako asks softly.

They make it to the top of the stairs. He sighs. ‘I told him who’s been sending him the cupcakes. He thought I only sent them as a joke.’

Mako says nothing until they’re standing outside Newt’s door and he’s fumbling with the keys. ‘I should take some of the blame for this. I’m sorry.’

‘No, hey, Mako no.’ Newt squeezes her shoulder. ‘We fight all the time anyway, it’s not like this will change anything.’ Except that they’ve been arguing less and less these days, choosing to spend more time together outside of work hours. Everything seemed to have been building towards something. Has he been reading things wrong all along?

‘Talk to him,’ she says as he opens his door. ‘Maybe he just needs some time. Doctor Gottlieb is a man who does not open up easily.’

‘You don’t say.’ He laughs sadly. ‘You know, all these years of knowing him and I only found out his favourite colour last week. You know what it is? It’s _grey_. All the colours he could have picked, and he picks grey. Sometimes I don’t even think he’s real.’ Hermann had waxed poetic about storm clouds and old brick and cosy sweaters. Newt had been so in love in that moment he’d resorted to teasing him mercilessly about it. Anything to hide his heartache.

‘No more hiding,’ Mako tells him. Her warm brown eyes are sorrowful. ‘None of us know how much time we have. You go down there tomorrow, and you tell him how you feel.’

‘Alright, alright fine. Fine! I will.’ He points at her. ‘If you tell Raleigh how _you_ feel.’

She juts out her chin defiantly. ‘I will.’

‘Cool. Okay.’ God, tomorrow’s gonna suck. ‘Goodnight, Mako. And thanks.’

She presses her lips together in a guilty smile. ‘Do you want to send him an apology cupcake?’

Newt groans. ‘Absolutely not.’

On February 13th, Newt swaggers into the lab like it’s a normal day. ‘Morning, Hermann!’

High up on his ladder, Hermann tenses. ‘Good morning, Doctor Geiszler,’ he says stiffly.

There’s no evidence of the accident; everything seems to be in its correct place. He runs a loving hand over the large tank where the Kaiju brain is floating. ‘Did you miss me, baby?’ he coos. ‘Daddy’s gonna Drift with you, and then he’s going to cut you into little bits! Yes he is!’ Pentecost can say what he likes about a potentially-lethal neural surge. Newt is going to be the first human to Drift with a Kaiju, and it’s going to be awesome. ‘Hey, who cleaned up over here?’

‘I did,’ Hermann says. ‘A few of the rangers happened to be passing at the time, and they helped me deal with you and then… then they helped clean up the broken glass.’

It’s unnerving, having such a large gap in his memory. He remembers that morning, and Pentecost coming in, and laughing with Hermann… then nothing.

Hermann isn’t offering any conversation, so Newt slaps his Kaiju kidney down on the table and gets to work. He can’t find his headphones, so he assumes they were broken in the accident. Without them the lab is silent apart from the scrape of chalk and squelch of flesh.

They don’t know how much time they have together. The next Kaiju through the Breach could be the one that kills them all. All this tiptoeing around their feelings seems so petty in comparison. And he’s tired of it.

‘I meant what I said, you know,’ he says casually, still dissecting. ‘You annoy the hell out of me some days, but you’re still the closest friend I have.’ Oh shit, is that a _Kaiju_ _kidney stone?_ Amazing discovery! But not important right now. He pulls it out with tweezers and drops it in a dish. ‘And okay, maybe I came on a little strong, but sometimes I don’t know how to get things through to you because apparently anything genuine I do is misconstrued as a “joke”.’

Hermann sighs. ‘Newton – ‘

‘I get it, I’m not the easiest guy to work with. And it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, I’m cool with it. Really. But if something happened and I never said anything then that would be a lot worse, because out of all the people here you’re the one person I couldn’t be without.’

‘Newton.’

Newton turns around. Hermann is standing in the middle of the lab, one foot on the tape line. He’s staring down at the floor. ‘Newton, I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have run off the way that I did.’

He slices into the kidney with a little more force than necessary. ‘Then why did you?’

Hermann is normally so self-assured, unswayable in his mathematical theories and in his conviction. Yet here, he looks lost, uncertain. ‘I don’t do… this sort of thing. Erm, _relationships._ It’s better if I remain attached only to my work.’

‘Well, that’s bullshit. What’s the point in fighting if there’s nothing to fight _for?’_ He drops the scalpel and steps toward him. ‘All the time we’ve spent together, you’re telling me that doesn’t mean anything?’

Hermann smiles softly. ‘That’s the thing, Newton. It seems that as always, you are the exception to every rule.’

‘Come on dude, why did you send those cupcakes in the first place? You’re giving me serious mixed signals here.’

Hermann’s pale fingers twist around the top of his cane. ‘I thought it was obvious,’ he whispers.

And there’s that warm, funny feeling in Newt’s chest again. Heart pounding, he steps up to the tape line. Hermann meets his eyes hesitantly. ‘Then what are we even doing here, man?’

He clears his throat. ‘I was… afraid. Of what you’d think of me. There aren’t many people in my life whom I hold dear but you are one of them. I didn’t want to spoil what we already have.’

Newt is grinning as he leans into Hermann’s space. He puts one foot over the line. ‘You do know this is me we’re talking about? I’m not that easy to get rid of. Like Kaiju blue on woolly sweaters.’

The corner of Hermann’s mouth twists in a wry smile. ‘I still haven’t forgiven you for that.’

The kiss is soft, gentle, a barely-there brush of lips that feels utterly unexpected but also the inevitable conclusion to all their years together.

Hermann is still at first, but then he curls an arm around Newt’s waist and hums softly against his mouth, deepening the kiss. Newt cups his face in his hands, brushing his thumbs across high cheekbones –

‘Newton, I hope those gloves are clean.’

Newt’s eyes open wide, and he leans back to survey his handiwork. Hermann’s face is smeared with (neutralised, thank god) Kaiju blue. ‘Um… at least it wasn’t your sweater this time, right?’

But Hermann just laughs in defeat as he fishes a handkerchief from his pocket. ‘What am I going to do with you?’

‘I’ve got some ideas.’ He winks cheekily, then hurries back to his workstation for some wipes. It’s a good thing Hermann loves him back, because this stuff doesn’t come off easily. If at all.

It’s fine though, because by the time he’s done scrubbing the worst of it off, and kissing him in between, Hermann gets his revenge and leaves a handprint on Newt’s neck.

On the morning of February 14th, Hermann knocks on Newt’s door and they go down to breakfast together, bicker/bantering as they always do. Hermann blushes like a teenager when Newt holds his hand, but doesn’t let go as they walk through the mess hall together. As if it wasn’t obvious enough, they’re both sporting faded smears of blue on their faces. Newt suspects that Hermann secretly likes it.

He spots Raleigh and Mako sitting shoulder-to-shoulder at their own table, and when he catches her eye she smiles. It’s been a long time since he saw her this happy.

‘So, you like Valentine’s now, right?’ Newt says as they sit down together.

‘It has its uses,’ Hermann agrees begrudgingly.

‘Shut up, I totally won you over with math puns, don’t even deny it.’ In some ways, nothing has changed between them. And yet it has. They eat breakfast in relative silence for once, merely happy in each other’s company.

‘Hey,’ says Newt, ‘You may be _obtuse_ , but I think you’re _a-cutie.’_

‘Well,’ Hermann says, ‘ _You_ may be a biologist, but at least we have _chemistry.’_

‘That’s okay, you’re still my _number one.’_

Chuck, who is passing by at that moment, groans. ‘Get a room, you two.’

Hermann turns pink. Newt just laughs. ‘Actually, that’s not a bad idea. What do you say, Doctor Gottlieb?’ He leans in conspirationally. ‘I could be your derivative and lie tangent to your curves.’

Hermann actually gulps before looking away shyly. ‘That one was actually rather clever,’ he mutters.

‘Oh my god, these actually work on you, don’t they?’ He’s still cackling as Hermann stands up decisively. ‘Wait, where are you going?’

‘To the lab. We _are_ still expected to get some work done.’

‘Pfft. Okay.’ Newt stands up too, and Hermann leans in to murmur in his ear:

‘We are going to the lab. And I am going to lock the door, and then I am going to kiss you senseless.’

‘Oh! Good plan.’ The brain project can wait for another day. Maybe a week, if Hermann keeps this up. ‘And after, will you expand my polynomial?’

Hermann tries and fails to hide a grin. ‘Don’t push your luck, Geiszler.’

As they make their way out of the crowded mess hall, Newt turns thoughtful. They may be in a tumbling-down military facility, in a world inhabited by monsters, at the possible end of the world (hopefully not), but this is still the best Valentine’s day ever. And now he has Hermann, he’s going to make damn sure that next year’s is even better. And there _will_ be a next year.

For now though, he lets Hermann eagerly lead the way back to the lab. Saving the world can wait; they’ve got several years of not-kissing to catch up on.


End file.
